Veteran finds redemption through Milwaukee VA program

Consumed by alcoholism and living in a foreign land, Figuly attacked two of his neighbors with a box cutter, injuring them before he was subdued by one of the victims and another neighbor.

He eventually pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to five years in prison.

“I have no recollection of (the incident),” Figuly said, noting that during his sentencing hearing, he did not recognize the victims. “I had no idea who they were. I couldn’t have picked them out of a lineup.”

During sentencing hearings, crime victims typically get to make statements and confront their assailants. Figuly heard harsh words that day.

“They said I was a monster, that five years was too short and that I shouldn’t belong in society,” he said.

Those words crushed Figuly. He said at that time, he would have gladly exchanged his life for their experience.

But he also knew that it was the alcoholism — which had already cost him his career in the U.S. Air Force — that was the cause. 

Filling the void with alcohol

Figuly, 34, joined the Air Force in 2012. He was an engineer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, which meant he worked with civilians much of the time. That meant little connection with his fellow airmen, and as loneliness crept into his life, so too did alcohol.

“I had left my family and friends and had gone through a bad breakup,” he said. “It started compounding every day, so I started drinking every day.”

It got to the point where Figuly was drunk even while on duty. Some of his colleagues tried to help, but to no avail. Figuly said he knew he had a problem but felt powerless to stop it.

Then in 2015, he was arrested off-base, charged with driving while intoxicated. That led to his separation from the Air Force. However, he was able to secure a civilian job, and continued working at the base as a contractor.

But he continued to drink. And his life continued to spiral downward.

“Life was pretty miserable, and I kept trying to find ways to end it,” he said, saying he tried to overdose on prescription medications.

His next action was to take a job in Japan, thinking the relocation would heal the wounds.

“I thought I could run away from my problems, but that wasn’t the case,” he said. 

The drinking continued, and he started taking prescription drugs. On the fateful night, he experienced what is known as a drunk rage blackout, when a person can commit a violent act but have no memory of it afterward.

Hearing what he had done seemed “non-sensical,” Figuly said. “There’s no way in my mind that I would physically harm people for no reason. It was random, and I wish I could take it back.”

Violence, then redemption, in prison

In prison in Oklahoma, Figuly became a target. His military bearing made him seem “like a cop” to his fellow inmates. Fighting became commonplace, he said, as he tried to navigate the gangs inside the prison.

In addition, Figuly did not get sober in prison. He said there are ways to get just about anything in prison, including alcohol, and that’s what Figuly did.

“So I’m fighting … and feeling shameful and disgusted with myself,” he said. “It broke me. And all along, I knew alcohol was that thing holding me back.”

Finally, Figuly had hit rock bottom. But instead of collapsing, he chose to start climbing — or more accurately, running — up.

“I remember sitting in my bunk, thinking, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” he said. “I knew I was going to die in there if I continued (doing what I was doing). So I gritted my teeth, put my head down, and started running.”

Figuly devoted all his recreational time in prison — three hours each day — to running.

“I ran out all my frustration, my guilt and all the nasty feelings and resentments I had about myself,” he said. “After running 20 miles, you don’t really care about anything else. But it was good. It’s how I coped.”

By keeping his head down and devoting all his time to running, Figuly was able to stop drinking and get his sentence shortened to three years. Upon his release, he was sent to a halfway house and then eventually back to his parents’ home to Texas.

But the family dynamic was not healthy, he said, so he reached out to a friend from college — Alex Gillen, a Milwaukee VA nurse.

A new life in Milwaukee

Gillen got Figuly connected with the Compensated Work Therapy program at the Milwaukee VA, working with Josh Rogers, vocational rehabilitation counselor. And though he had never been to Wisconsin, Figuly moved to the Milwaukee area to take advantage of the program.

Figuly came to the Milwaukee VA in early January, committed to beginning a new life.

“I knew this guy was different from Day One,” Rogers said, noting that Figuly came to the program’s Job Club each week and would spend hours looking and applying for jobs.

“Even though he was an electrical engineer, he was willing to do anything,” Rogers said. “He humbled himself, and he was relentless in his approach. I admired his stick-to-it-iveness.”

All that work paid off, and Figuly secured a job as a safety coordinator and facility maintenance engineer with a railroad company.

He also found a place to live and has a supportive group of friends. And most importantly, he has been sober for 2½ years.

But it doesn’t mean his fight is over.

“I have to fight every day,” he said. “I have to carve out a name and life for myself because I’m up against the wall with felonies and a substance abuse disorder. I have to prove myself to society.

“But things are falling into place. … Things that I used to deem unmanageable are now becoming manageable. I can look at myself in the mirror and not be ashamed because I’m doing what I need to be doing.”

Rogers holds up Figuly as an example how the CWT program can help Veterans who have been waylaid by past mistakes. 

However, it requires work and dedication from the Veteran. He said it’s deflating when he sees Veterans who “get right next to the finish line but don’t step over it and score.”

“But when you have a case like Brendan come along, it’s an amazing feeling,” Rogers said. “It reinforces why I’m here every day — to make a difference.

“The program works. Veterans can believe in CWT and the counselors. We’re doing everything in our power to help Veterans. Sometimes it takes a little time, but it’s going to work.”

A bright future

Figuly said his next goals are to earn enough money to buy a car and to pay reparations to the victims of his crime.

“I’m probably the most healthy I’ve ever been — mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said. 

He credits a mentor in Oklahoma, Mark Oliver, and his sister Jenna for standing by him through his incarceration. He’s thankful for Rogers for helping him and pushing him to stay on top of his rehabilitation. He’s grateful for Gillen, who believed in him despite all the strikes against him. 

And he said he’s thankful for the Milwaukee VA.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about the Milwaukee VA,” he said, saying any Veterans struggling like he did should reach out for help. “God bless you guys.”